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First impressions: Samsung Galaxy S5

11:35

NEW DELHI: Samsung is back with a new flagship Galaxy phone - Galaxy S5. This is going to be the best, most powerful and most feature-rich Galaxy phone for around a year. While we will have the full review of the device in the coming weeks, we checked it out today at the launch event in New Delhi.

Here is what we think of Galaxy S5 based on the brief time we spent with the device:

The first thing you notice about Galaxy S5 is that the glossy plastic cover - much hated by users but much loved by Samsung - found on previous galaxy phones is finally gone. In its place, Samsung is using a back cover made of plastic that has a matte finish and that feels soft - almost like velvet - to the touch. The back cover also has a dotted pattern, but the dots are small.

We feel the change in the design and material of back cover is for the good. Galaxy S5 does look and feel better than Galaxy S4. However, it still can't match iPhone 5S or Xperia Z1 in terms of looks.

The other striking bit about Galaxy S5 is how light it feels despite packing in a large screen. With its rounded edges, it fits in the hand very well and due to its relatively low weight it is easy to hold and use it.

The build quality of Galaxy S5 looks top notch, though there is still not much of metal in the body. Mostly it is plastic, but to give the device a premium look, Samsung is using a frame in metal finish that fits around the phone.

The three buttons - two touch-sensitive buttons for Back and Menu options and one physical button for Home - sit below the screen. There are no onscreen buttons in Galaxy S5.

Galaxy S5 has a dust and water proof design. The USB 3.0 port on the device is covered with a flap.

The home button has a fingerprint scanner. In our use, we found it works well. A user has to swipe his finger on the Home button and if the fingerprints match, the phone unlocks. If the fingerprint scanner cannot unlock the phone, a user has the option of putting in password or PIN manually.

The other sensor - heart rate sensor - is located under the primary camera and also works well. It integrates with S Health app on the device and measures heart rate when a user places his or her finger on top of the scanner.

The Indian version of Galaxy S5 is powered by an Exynos processor. It has four A15 cores, which are meant for tasks that require high performance like gaming. These cores run at 1.9GHz. The processor also has four low-power A7 cores that run at 1.3GHz.

In our brief use, we found the device to have very good performance. Opening apps or scrolling through app drawer is lag-free and smooth. But we will need to play games, multitask and try out some demanding apps before we can say more about the performance part of the device.

The camera seems responsive and fast. We took some shots with and found the focus speed to be very fast. But this is another area that we will explore in detail in our full review.

Overall, Galaxy S5 seems an impressive device. The design and how it feels in hand is better compared to Galaxy S4. The features look good and so does performance. We will have more to say about it the full review in the coming weeks but our first impression is that this is going to be one of the best smartphones you will be able to buy this year.

A few words about Galaxy Gear FitJust like Galaxy S5, Gear Fit is surprisingly light. It also uses an all plastic - or rather rubber and plastic - design but on the wrist it looks really cool with its large 1.8-inch screen.

The device can track the physical activity of a user. It can measure the steps taken in a day or distance covered in a jogging session.

There is a heart rate sensor under the Gear Fit. But unlike Gear 2, it doesn't have a camera. Gear Fit will work with select Galaxy devices, including Galaxy S5. It can also show notifications like calls or messages received on the phone.